Bears blank Ephrata in road doubleheader

EPHRATA – The Brewster High School varsity baseball team held the Ephrata Tigers scoreless in a non-conference doubleheader that included a no-hitter on the road last Saturday, April 22.

”We had our best approaches of the year at the plate today,” said head coach Todd Phillips. “Ephrata held us at bay until we had to get runners moving and just blew it open in the fifth inning.”.

With playoffs are just around the bend Phillips was pleased with the Bears’ pitching.

“Reese Vassar threw a great game, and we played solid defense behind him,” said Phillips. “We are hoping to be playing on that field in about a month, so it was a great opportunity for us to get out on it.”

The Bears threatened in the first inning, but after that it was pretty silent until the fifth. Then Grant Baker led off with a single, moved to third on Preston Thompson’s single, who did a good job in his varsity debut, Phillips noted.

Kash Vandelac reached base on a sacrifice bunt RBI. Brady Wulf then made it to first on a runner interference call. Tyson Schertenleib doubled to score two runs. Eric Ramirez singled to score Schertenleib. Nico Maldonado tripled to score Ramirez to end the inning.

Brewster added a security run in the sixth. With two outs, Vandelac reached base on a hit-by-pitch and moved to second on a passed ball. Pinch runner Cole Aparicio advanced to third on a Vassar’s single and then scored on an errant throw off an attempted pick-off.

Innings:   1      2      3      4      5      6      7      R     H     E 

Brewster  0      0      0      0      5      1      0      6      7      0 

Ephrata    0      0      0      0      0      0      0      0      3      3       

W-Reese Vassar (6-0) 

L- Cody Black 

S-None 

2B-Brewster: Tyson Schertenleib (6), Eric Ramirez (3); Ephrata: None 

3B-Brewster: Nico Maldonado; Ephrata: None 

HR-None           

“Talk about having a day,” said Phillips of Schertenleib’s performance. “Throw a no-hitter and hit two home runs in the same game.  That doesn’t happen very often.”

The Bears only struck out two Tigers, but were errorless and even had a couple diving plays that kept the no-hitter intact.

“Funny thing is that Schertenleib threw a no-hitter against Othello, another CWAC team, a year ago almost to the date,” recalled Phillips. “He got things started early helping himself out on the bump, homering on a monster line drive with two outs in the top of the first.”

In the second inning Maldonado led off with a hit-by-pitch and stole second. Blake Burgett reached base on a sacrifice bunt and also stole second. Baker singled bringing in two runs, made it all the way to third on a series of errors and scored on a Vassar single.

“We blew it open in the third when Schertenleib singled and stole second, Ramirez reached base on an error,  and Maldonado bunted for a base hit to pick up the RBI,” said Phillips. “Ramirez scored on a wild pitch, Burgett singled, and Preston Thompson singled to bring in two more.”

Brewster added one in the fifth when Maldonado turned a dropped infield pop fly into two bases by busting it hard out of the box and then scoring on a Baker single. The Bears’ final two runs came in the sixth inning when Vassar tripled for his fourth hit on the day and Schertenleib cleared the bases with an inside the park home run. 

Innings:   1      2      3      4      5      6      R     H     E 

Brewster  1      3      4      0      1      2      11    12    0 

Ephrata    0      0      0      0      0      0      0      0      3       

W-Schertenleib (5-0) 

L- N Ferebec 

S-None 

2B-None 

3B-Brewster: Vassar; Ephrata: None 

HR-Brewster: Schertenleib 2; Ephrata: None